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Use It or Lose It

In the wild, doing whatever it takes to conserve energy is a crucial survival mechanism. But in a world where all our needs are met, it makes us very lazy and fragile.

We all know this, but our solution is usually to dedicate time to “train” our body and brain. Much of the training is domain dependent. (Head nod to Nassim Taleb on this concept.) It only makes us better at that specific task. For example, brain-training games onlymake us better at that game. Bicep curls make us better at curling weight with perfect grips that you would rarely encounter in the real world.

Domain independent activities, on the other hand, make us more resilient across many fields. For example, squats and other heavyweight compound movements, translate to other activities like wheelbarrowing dirt around your garden. Practicing mathematical proofs teaches us how to break down complex things into their fundamental parts; something useful when planning complex work projects.

It makes sense then to focus our dedicated training to domain independent activities. Then use our everyday lives to integrate domain dependent training. Even better, the holy grail is to integrate domain independent activities into our everyday lives.

Arguably “useless” activities that you do for the sake of doing them are exempt from this philosophy, e.g., playing the piano.

Below is just a quick example of seemingly mundane domain independent and dependent activities that make us more resilient (and, to some degree, antifragile) with little adjustment.

Set all passwords to letters and special characters that you struggle to type without looking instead to ASDFJKL-laden charactersBenefits/other domains: improve keyboard navigation and finger dexterity

In the moment, memorize the 4 digit bulk food “walnuts” code instead of writing it on the twisty labelBenefits/other domains: improve ability to chunk information, less time in bulk food aisle, practice keeping multiple things in your head

Build a mental model of the city in your head instead of relying on your phone GPSBenefits/other domains: less phone reliance, improve hippocampus health, spatial memory, and situational awareness

Take the stairs everywhere. I can’t think of a more effective way of keeping you young.Benefits/other domains: get places quicker, improve cardio health, mood, and hiking endurance